The construction of the Cordoba House mosque at Ground Zero is a perfect example of the lack of true leadership in our nation today. The events and rhetoric regarding its construction polarizes our city, as salt is being rubbed in the wounds of millions who have been personally affected by the 9/11 tragedy.

If you know someone who was murdered at the World Trade Center on this unforgettable day, you understand the tremendous pain and rage that people feel from 9/11. For Imam Faisel Abdul Rauf and his supporters to erect a 13-story mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero is not just an act of insensitivity, it’s an absolute affront to those who perished that day.

Imam Rauf once suggested, in a TV interview, that the 9/11 attacks were brought on as a result of U.S. policies. There has been no outreach to 9/11 victim support groups to receive input on what they thought about the Mosque before making a decision to build it.

Additionally, Imam Rauf refuses to make public which overseas organizations will be funding its construction. We ask for transparency and get no response. It is incomprehensible to me that our leaders can say in the name of religious freedom, that it would be un-American to stop this project.

To most practicing Muslims, this tower would be seen as a beautiful house of worship. But to those radical Islamists who still seek to destroy America; this Mosque will be seen as a “victory tower.” I fully support efforts to improve relations between all religions, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the mindset of radical Islam in the name of religious freedom.

I urge all of our leaders to stand together in solidarity and have the courage to speak out against this misguided effort. We must say no to the Cordoba House Mosque at Ground Zero.

Bob Turner is a resident of Rockaway Point. He is the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 9th District.